Embankment Fires on Railways—Where and How to Mitigate?

As climate change increases the frequency and unpredictability of natural hazards, adapting critical infrastructure is crucial for long-term resilience. Among these hazards, embankment fires pose a growing threat to railway systems, particularly under rising temperatures and prolonged drought conditions. As part of the Horizon Europe project NATURE-DEMO, this study helps identify fire-prone rail segments and explore nature-based solutions, such as vegetation barriers, that can reduce ignition risk and enhance infrastructure resilience. In a case study, we analysed the risk of embankment fires for a section of the German railway network in detail. Based on an embankment-fire hazard indication map available for the entire German railway network, five hotspots within the study area were identified. Embankments with high fire susceptibility occur in both rural and urban areas, covering 1.1% of the study area. On the basis of published research on technical and nature-based solutions for reducing embankment fire susceptibility, we derived site-specific recommendations for the appropriate implementation of mitigation measures.